Real Good Thing
by geargie
Summary: Sam is raising his daughter with Dean's help. She's just started kindergarten (with Mr. Castiel Novak as her teacher) and is infatuated with her bus driver Mr. Gabriel. Sam is a little bit too.
1. Chapter 1

The first day of school is rough. It always is, but especially so in kindergarten. New place, new people, new kids to play with—it's probably really, insanely overwhelming.

So when Sam gets home from work to his daughter launching herself at him, mouth going a mile a minutes and so excited she's _shaking_, he is slightly concerned. He looks helplessly over her head at Dean where he's picking a pony sticker off his face—it's his own fault for buying her the pony sticker books and Sam's gone into the office with them in his _hair_—and his stupid brother just laughs and shrugs.

"Said she wanted to wait for you to get home when I asked her how it went."

Sam sets the little girl down, her dark hair falling from the braid he'd somehow managed before he left for work that morning. "So?"

She grins up at him. "It was the best day ever!"

Dean comes over to squat next to his brother and puts on an affronted face. "Better than when I took you to Jo's barn?"

Lexi's brown eyes fly open comically wide. "Uncle Dean! No! That was the best _best_ day ever. This was only the best," she says seriously. Dean laughs loud and long, throwing his head back. Sam had dubbed it his 'Lexi-laugh'.

"So school was fun?" Sam asks, poking at his daughter's stomach.

She makes a face, scrunching up her nose and wrinkling her forehead. "School was okay. Mr. Novak is nice. He's kind of weird too. He talks funny sometimes."

"What does that mean?" Dean asks.

"Like," Lexi stops to think about it. "Like when Daddy watches those movies about a long time ago when everyone dressed all fancy and they were really…really…polite. He sounds kind of like a robot."

Sam snickers and Dean laughs aloud again. "So if school was okay, what makes today the best day ever?" He asks.

"Mr. Gabriel!" She giggles.

The brothers share a look and Sam tugs gently on Lexi's shirt. "Who?"

"He's magic, Daddy."

Dean snorts at that. "Magic?"

"Yeah, he pulled a tootsie roll from behind my ear and then he gave it to me! I'd show you but—" she looks down at her feet. "I already ate it. Sorry."

Sam flops down on the floor and pulls her into his lap. "It's okay, baby. Now who is Mr. Gabriel?"

"He's the bus driver! He was real nice to me after Jake—" Lexi claps a hand over her mouth, her eyes comically wide again.

Dean pokes her in the side. "Who's Jake and what did he do?"

"He just—well he was teasing because we had to draw our families today and I drew you and Daddy and he said it looked like I had two dad's and I said no, I have one Daddy and one Uncle Dean and he said I was weird for not having a mommy and he tried to take my picture—" she scrambles out of Sam's lap over to her pony-covered backpack and pulls a rumpled, crayon drawing from the big outside pocket. "—but I didn't let him." She pushes it into Sam's waiting hands and crawls back into his lap.

Dean peers over to take in the stick figures and his finger traces the brown jacket she's drawn him in. "This is wonderful, darlin'. Sammy how much trouble can I get in for beating up a five-year-old?"

Sam rolls eyes. "What happened then?"

"Well I told him that I didn't need a mommy 'cause I had you two," Lexi says and Sam gets a familiar flip in his stomach, the same one he got the first time he ever held her and when she first started talking. He's got the guilt this time too, though. Just like when he doesn't know how to braid well or bake cookies—not that Ruby would have known how either—like he's failing that part of Lexi's childhood. "And then I punched him," she finishes.

"You _what_?"

"Atta girl," Dean laughs.

"Dean, no. Alexis Mary Winchester, tell me you did not _hit_ that boy!" Sam cries.

She swallows thickly. "I didn't hit him?" He buries his face in his hands. "I'm sorry Daddy! He was being so mean and I didn't mean to do it," she says, her voice shaking. "Mr. Gabriel said he wouldn't tell no one but that I hafta have an assigned seat on the bus as punishment."

Sam sighs. "'Any one', baby. He said he wouldn't tell 'any one'." She nods quickly and throws her arms around his neck. He hugs her tightly against him, catching a glimpse of the clock on the wall. It's already almost 8:30 and he didn't think he'd stayed at work so late. "We're gonna talk about this tomorrow, and I'm gonna talk to Mr. Gabriel too," he says into her hair. She pushes away from him, wiping at her eyes. He pulls her back in to kiss her on the forehead. "Now say goodnight to Uncle Dean and get ready for bed, okay?"

Lexi throws herself into Dean's arms hugging him tightly. "G'night Uncle Dean."

"Goodnight, peanut. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon," Dean says, smacking her lightly on the butt as she turn to run to her room. They can hear her giggles down the hall.

"You got yourself a handful with that one, Sammy."

"Oh shut up, Dean. And stop encouraging her to beat up on other kids please," Sam groans. "So I guess I've gotta talk to this bus driver tomorrow, so can you just be here after school?"

Dean's expression softens. "Sure thing, Sammy." He claps his brother on the shoulder and heads out, closing the door softly behind him.

By the time Sam heads down the hall to Lexi's room, she's in the bathroom, standing on the stool Bobby built her when they moved into the new apartment, brushing her teeth. "Alphabet twice, top and bottom, yeah?" She nods, grinning around the Batman toothbrush she'd insisted on getting—and never let Dean tell you he's not a softy.

He settles onto her bed, his legs far too long and hanging over the end, and waits for her to come bounding in and jump under the covers. These are his favorite times, when it's just him and Lexi. Sometimes he reads her a book, sometimes he tells her a story, and if she's really, really good, he'll sing softly until she falls asleep. He's not much of a singer, but he's pretty sure that doesn't matter. Sam never had this himself, his mother died too early and even if on occasion his dad was around to tuck him in—John Winchester worked himself ragged every day to support his boys—it was never soft and gentle. It was a gruff, 'Goodnight Sammy' and a large hand closed around his calf, squeezing lightly. More often than not, Dean was the one putting him to bed, making sure he brushed his teeth and took a shower. He taught his daughter the same bedtime ritual Dean drilled into him.

"Sorry I hit Jake, Daddy," comes a voice from under his arm.

"I'm not going to say it's okay, but we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay? I'll talk to you bus driver—"

"Mr. Gabriel!" Lexi chimes in.

"Yeah, Mr. Gabriel. I'll talk to him tomorrow morning."

"Okay Daddy. Be nice to him. He's great," she says seriously.

Sam frowns down at her, "Since when am I ever anything but nice?"

Lexi just giggles and shuffles in closer to his side.

Sam's woken up the next morning by an elbow to the sternum as his daughter dive-bombs his bed. He lets out an 'oof' followed by a laugh that starts low in his belly. "You know, I normally can't get you up before nine any other day. It's—Lexi, it's 6:30! The bust doesn't even come until 8:00!"

"Yeah but you gotta do my hair and we gotta pick out clothes!" She says, bouncing up and down. "Mr. Gabriel said he liked my braid yesterday! Maybe we can do TWO today. Right, Daddy?"

"Two braids? What am I, Superman all of a sudden?"

Lexi takes his face in her small hands. "Daddy, you're better than Superman. You're like Captain America and Iron Man and Batman all mixed into one." She stares into his eyes and then nods once, flinging herself off the bed and rushing from the room to get dressed.

"Pants today, baby," he calls, "Uncle Dean's gonna take you out to see Jo this afternoon."

He hears a shrill scream from the other room and he can't stop smiling.

When her hair's been brushed, her clothes picked out and her breakfast eaten, Lexi waits rather impatiently for Sam to finish getting ready. "C'mon Daddy! The bus is gonna be here soon!" He shoves the last of his bagel in his mouth, runs his fingers through his hair and straightens his tie.

"I'm comin', pumpkin."

Lexi all but pushes him out the door; he has to lean back in over her to grab his briefcase. They make it down to the bus stop with ten minutes to spare and she spends the time fidgeting and pulling on her braids. "Lexi if you keep messing with them, they're going to be all pulled out by the time you get on the bus." She glances worriedly up at him, giving her right pigtail one final tug.

"Is it late?" She asks.

"No. Still five minutes before it's supposed to come."

Lexi leans out off the curb, looking up the street. "How long is five minutes?"

Sam laughs. "What, can't wait five minutes to be rid of me?"

"Nooo!" She says, wrapping herself around his legs. He bends to scoop her up into a hug. "No, I wish you could come to school with me every day, Daddy. I just want you to meet Mr. Gabriel!"

The second the bus comes into her line of sight, Lexi's squirming in Sam's arms and struggling down to the sidewalk to pick up her lunch bag—Iron Man, of course. It clashes horribly with her backpack. She grins up at him, face lit up, eyes shining and Sam thinks, not for the first time, that this bus driver might really be magic. The bus grinds to a halt in front of them and the doors swing open.

Sam's not really sure what he was expecting but the man sitting in the driver's seat isn't it. Maybe he was thinking this Gabriel would be older, with a bushy beard and sparkling eyes—okay, if he's being honest, he was expecting a Santa-like figure—but he looks a little older than Dean, but not by much. Lexi screeches excitedly and hops up the stairs while Sam stands staring after her.

"Wow, no goodbye or anything? I feel so used," he laments. She stops mid-step and throws her lunchbox over the seat before turning and launching herself into Sam's arms. He catches her, laughing and kisses her lightly on the cheek. "I love you, firefly," he whispers into her hair.

She kisses him back and presses their foreheads together like they always do before Sam leaves for work. "Love you too, Daddy." Sam sets her back on the stairs and clears his throat, trying to play off the way it's gone all tight and his eyes all watery.

The bus driver is staring at him with this look that could be either impatience or adoration. He's got one of those faces where it's hard to tell. "Hi, I'm Sam," he finally says. "You must be the infamous Mr. Gabriel."

Gabriel grins and nods. "Infamous? How did that happen?"

"Seems that all it takes to win my daughter's eternal love is a tootsie roll. Should have thought of that years ago," he answers. The bus driver laughs. "Though I did also hear something about assigned seating due to physical violence?"

"Yeah," Gabriel seems to hesitate. "Technically if something like that happens I gotta tell the school and then she couldn't ride the bus anymore and she was talking about how you and—Dean, was it? About how you two scramble to get her as it is with your work schedules." He shrugs. "I figured it was first day jitters and—" he leans conspiratorially towards the door and Sam finds himself leaning in as well "—the kid was being a little bit of a jackass."

Sam can't help smiling at that. "Well, I guess thank you, in that case."

Gabriel's eyes do sparkle, it turns out. Or maybe it's just the way the light hits them and the strange honey-brown they are. "No problem."

"Daaaaddy, we're gonna be late for school and we're gonna miss part of story time," comes a whine from over the back of the seat.

"I think I'm embarrassing her," Sam says with a laugh.

Gabriel just smirks and says, "Well, it's never too early to start, am I right?"

The doors slide shut between them and Sam finds himself waving to his daughter through the window. Her assigned seat is right across and slightly behind the driver. He has a feeling this won't be the last he'll hear about Mr. Gabriel.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam's right of course. It's not even close to the last thing he hears about the driver. It's all 'Mr. Gabriel' this and 'Mr. Gabriel' that. He's beginning to wonder if Lexi even goes to school at all or she just rides the bus around all day.

He's reminded she does, in fact go to school, when he gets a letter home about parent-teacher conferences. Which are on the one night a week he agreed to work late because Dean had it off. Damnit.

"You need me to what."

Sam pinches the bridge of his nose. "Just _go_ to the school until I can get there, okay? Chances are you won't get called until the end. Pesky 'W' name and all."

There's a loud sigh from the other side of the phone. "Fiiiine but only for the kid. You owe me big time."

"Oh don't be such a jerk."

"Only if you stop being a bitch."

Sam suppresses a smile and hangs up the phone.

He sees Gabriel every day for two weeks when he brings Lexi down to the bus stop. They don't talk, just a nod hello or a wave as the driver shuts the door but his daughter comes home every day with a new story about how Gabriel used to work in a circus or how he knows famous people from when he worked on a movie set for a summer or when he was a white water rapid river guide in Maine. And apparently Lexi was right when she said he was magic because he's legitimately part of the Magician's Guild—'He showed me his _card_, Daddy. It was so cool'—or whatever it's called.

Sam finds himself inexplicably more and more curious.

Dean is awkward. Not normally but standing in the hall outside a kindergarten classroom is not typically where he hangs out. There are moms staring at him, a few of them making eyes much to their husband's chagrin. He thinks he hears 'I'm literally standing right next to you, Carol. Stop eye-fucking that guy' from the couple down the hall and he has to cover his mouth with his hand to hide his grin. Carol has the sense to look properly admonished and he face flushes red as they walk by when they're called into the room.

It's funny but Dean really hopes Sam gets here soon because he doesn't know shit about parent-teacher conferences and he knows that the sitter they had to hire, some girl named Becky, is expensive. Sam works too much already to have to pay for a sitter and he refuses help from Dean or Bobby beyond taking care of Lexi every once in a while. Not that Dean doesn't find ways to sneak money into the apartment, leaving it in places where one would typically misplace their own and Sam needed a cosigner for his student loans so Bobby pays them off a little at a time so that Sam won't notice.

"Winchester?"

Oh, son of a bitch.

He trips over his own feet walking into the classroom, like a tool. The room is crowded with colorful drawings and papier-mâché projects. There are rows and rows of books along the back wall in yellow bookcases and 20 or so little coat hooks next to the door. One of the walls is all wide windows and Dean imagines that the light is wonderful during the day. He takes it all in, and comes to the conclusion that the room feels safe, cozy and it's no wonder Lexi loves school so much. He registers the man in front of him—Mr. Novak, presumably—gesturing for him to sit on a rug covered in letters and numbers, probably weighted down by glitter and other craft supplies that have sunk in the fibers over the years. He thinks that if he has glitter on his ass when he leaves, he'll have to have words with Sam.

"You're Mr. Winchester, correct?" Novak asks, his voice deep and rich like Ellen's Irish coffee, and for the first time, Dean really looks at him. He's got a mop of dark hair, rumpled and messy from a long day wrangling children and then dealing with their parents. His blue tie is backwards, but he doesn't seem to notice or care, and Dean assumes that he doesn't normally wear one given the nonchalance of the mishap. He feels for the guy, because having the necklace Sam gave him when they were kids on around Lexi growing up was enough of a strangulation hazard; he can't imagine a whole class full of kids grabbing at him for 5 hours a day.

Novak looks at him expectantly, and he's got these crazy blue eyes that Dean isn't ashamed to say are totally his kind of thing. It's not until the teacher clears his throat that Dean remembers the teacher asked him a question. "What?"

"You're Mr. Winchester, Lexi's father?" Novak asks again, clearly using his patient I'm-talking-to-children-voice, which Dean should probably find insulting but he can't help noticing the amusement in the other man's eyes.

"Well, I'm _a_ Mr. Winchester, but not _the_ Mr. Winchester. Sam's running late—"

"Ohh, so you're the famous Uncle Dean then?"

Dean laughs. "Famous? What's she been telling you?"

Mr. Novak smiles a tiny smile. "Nothing much, I think she just worships you. I'm not sure we've had a conversation where she didn't mention you, to be honest."

He can practically feel his chest swelling with pride but he tries to play it off. "It seems all she can talk about at home is school and her bus rides so I think we're even. Though I have to say, you don't really sound like a robot. I'm a little disappointed."

"A robot?" the teacher asks, his eyes shining. "Why a robot?"

"I think it's 'cause she grew up with me and Sam and our uncle Bobby. We're not generally the most _eloquent_ bunch," Dean explains. Novak nods like he understands and shuffles a few papers on the carpet in front of him.

"Well, even if Lexi's dad isn't here, I suppose I can give you the run down," he says. "Lexi is very smart. She's got great problem solving skills and she's ahead of most of the class in the reading department."

"So she's basically a genius," Dean says with a cocky grin.

Novak's lips twitch, like he wants to smile. "Lexi is quite smart and she's also incredibly social. She gets along very well with the other students—with perhaps one exception."

"Jake?" Dean asks and the teacher seems surprised.  
"Yes, they've had a few…squabbles," he says.

"Yeah, Lexi told us they haven't really gotten along since the first day. He said some…mean things about our family," Dean explains. Novak nods like he understands.

"Children are…impressionable. I just finished my meeting with Jake's parents," he says. They're quiet for a moment, but it's not weird. "Lexi seems very comfortable in the classroom. Is she always so social?"

Dean shrugs. "Sam moved her around a lot when she was younger so she's used to making friends quickly. I think the challenge is going to come in a few months when she realizes that she's not moving and she can stay. It's either gonna go really well, or it's gonna totally suck."

Novak frowns. "Do you mind if I ask why they moved so much? If you don't feel comfortable—"

"No," Dean says, "No, it's okay. Sam never married Lexi's mother. They were dating and together through her whole pregnancy and even a little while after she was born, but Ruby—she just wasn't a good person, you know? She would go out, come home drunk or high, yell and scream at Sam. I think she hated him for getting her pregnant even though—I mean it takes two, right? And she resented Lexi for 'stealing' Sam from her. How fu—messed up is that?"

Novak reaches out in an aborted gesture before clasping his hands together in his lap. "So your brother took Lexi?"

"Sam's smart. He didn't just take her. He got a bunch of evidence together, did it up all nice and got one of his law professors—he's a lawyer now—to help him file a custody suit. The courts—it's not as bad as it used to be or anything—but they tend to side with the mother, you know? But Sam got all his shi—stuff together and he won. Ruby was crazy. Like certifiable. She followed them, not because she wanted Lexi, though. Just because she didn't want Sam to have her, you know what I mean?" Sam doesn't really talk about it. He doesn't discuss how he showed up at Dean's door with Lexi in tow after driving a day straight or how after they put her down for bed, he pulled the letters from Ruby—all of them terrifying and full of what she was going to do Sam if he kept running. Sam said all those things disappeared the second they were filed in evidence.

"Was Lexi involved in the case?" Novak asks. He sounds angry and a little bit sad.

Dean sighs. "No, not really. She was just at a couple of the hearings when I had to testify or Bobby did. When we didn't have someone to look after her. She was three by the time it all wrapped up. Not sure she remembers." He clears his throat and plasters on a smile when he sees the way the teacher is looking at him. "Sam and I do our best to make better memories, just in case, you know?"

Novak smiles at that. "That's admirable. I'm assuming from the way she talks about you, and even the fact that you're here, you spend almost as much time with her as Sam?"

"Well Sammy just got this new job and he's still pretty fresh from school and his boss is a dic—jerk who makes him work crazy hours. I mean, it's not like I live with them or anything, but I've got my own corner in Sam's closet, just in case," he says. "I take her on day trips and stuff. We've been to the zoo and my friend, Jo's farm a few times." Dean smiles. "She's been bugging me about the aquarium ever since you guys started your 'Under the Sea' thing."

The teacher brightens. "You know, we're still looking for chaperones for our fieldtrip."

"Fieldtrip?"

"Yes. I'm taking the children to the aquarium next week. We still need a male parent chaperone." Dean stares at the teacher for a moment. Is he asking him to be a chaperone? Dean with his leather jacket and dirty hands from working in Bobby's garage? Novak's smile dims when he stares without answering. "Unless of course—it may be presumptuous to assume—"

Dean laughs and holds up his hands. "No, I was just surprised is all. I mean I'm not actually Lexi's dad…"

"No, you're her Uncle Dean and she loves you very much if her artwork is anything to go by." Novak gestures to the wall behind him and it's covered with scribbly drawings. He sees more than one that features his brown leather jacket. Some have Sam, some with Lexi and horses, some that are just him with a big smile plastered on his face. He doesn't get choked up and Novak doesn't mention it. "I think it'd go over well with the other students too. I'm not exactly…'cool'." He says, complete with finger air quotes.

"I'll do it. It sounds awesome," Dean says with a laugh. He snags a pen from the pocket of Novak's shirt and jots down his email address on a piece of paper from a nearby table. A timer goes off near the teacher's desk and he hauls himself to his feet before offering a hand to the other man. "Guess my time's up?"

Novak takes his hand, his grip is strong and sure as Dean pulls him to his feet. "Thank you, Dean."

"Thank you, Mr. Novak," Dean returns. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you."

"Likewise," the teacher says with a small smile. "And please, call me Castiel."

"It's not a big deal, Sammy," Dean says from the other side of the phone. "It went great, you've got a good kid."

Sam groans into his cell. "I know I've got a great kid and thank you for doing that but it was her first parent-teacher conference ever and I wasn't even _there_."

"The teacher's a good guy, Sam. She's in good hands."

"What? What is this now? Big, bad, protective Uncle Dean approves?" Sam laughs. "Is he hot?" There's an awkward silence from the other side of the phone. "Oh my god, tell me you didn't hit on my daughter's kindergarten teacher!"

"I didn't hit on him," Dean says defensively. "He asked me to chaperone a field trip."

"What?"

"To the aquarium."

Sam pinches the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Do not have sex with my daughter's teacher, Dean."

"What about Mr. Novak?" Lexi says as she wanders into the living room.

He can hear Dean laughing over the tinny speaker of the phone. "Nothin', baby. Go brush up and I'll be right in." She nods and scrambles down the hall to the bathroom. "I hate you."

"No you don't, bitch."

"Jerk."

The last person Sam expects to run into on his lunch break is the mystical Mr. Gabriel, but as he grabbing an overpriced, but outstandingly delicious sandwich from Panera, he literally runs into the bus driver.

"Oh, god. I'm so sorry," he says, fumbling with napkins where he's spilled his coffee on Gabriel's shoes. "I didn't see—" he realizes just who he's mopping off "—oh. Hi. Um…"

The bus driver just grins. "No worries. You're Lexi's dad, right? Winchester? I can't say I've ever heard you called anything but 'Daddy' and it might be too early in our relationship for that sort of thing."

Sam finds himself startled into laughter. "Yeah maybe a bit. I'm Sam," he says, offering his hand.

Gabriel shakes it firmly. "You already know me as Gabriel so I guess I'll do last name? It's Novak, by the way."

"Novak—?"

"Yup! Cas—aka 'Mr. Novak'—is my little bro. He actually got me the job driving," the man says mopping the last of Sam's coffee from his sneaker.

"I've heard some stories about you and your sorted job history," Sam laughs.

Gabriel just shrugs. "I don't really like to be tied down for a long time. I have to say this gig is pretty sweet though. Morning runs, time off during the day, afternoon runs and summers of. Not bad."

"Yeah but you also have to deal with reckless children who punch other kids in the face," Sam remarks.

The driver grins. "Those are the best parts of my days, Sam. Love the little tykes." There's a bit of an awkward silence when Sam doesn't know how to respond. Finally Gabriel sighs. "You know, since you did kind of dump coffee on me, the polite thing to do would be to buy me lunch."

It's not until he's back at work, the sound of Gabriel's laughter still ringing in his ears and the stories the man told bouncing around his head that Sam realizes he might have just had his first date in 5 years.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam has his freak out privately in his crummy little office. He types out at least 6 texts to Dean but deletes them all and throws his phone onto his desk with a sigh. It's not that he assumes Gabriel knew it was a date or anything because honestly, it was barely something that could be considered one, but he hasn't taken anyone out to lunch who wasn't a co-worker or family since Ruby. And he's certainly never flirted with them the way he did with Gabriel.

Holy hell, he was hitting on his daughter's bus driver and it was the most fun he'd had in a long time.

Sam's forehead meets his desk with a loud thump.

He's screwed.

The field trip to the aquarium is the only thing Lexi can talk about the week leading up to it. When Dean told her he'd be going along her face looked like it might split from too wide a smile that showed off her missing front tooth (it had taken a lot of convincing to get her to leave it under her pillow because she was too fascinated by it. Sometimes having a brilliant daughter has its drawbacks).

Sam, for his own part, is relieved that Dean is chaperoning. It's not until your kid is about to go off on one that you realize how dangerous a fieldtrip can be. It's not just taking them somewhere when it's one-on-one. This is seventeen screaming five-year-olds all set on seeing the penguins or petting the sea turtles.

He wakes up the night before they're set to go breathing hard because he dreams Lexi wandered off from the group and fell into the polar bear enclosure. When he tells Dean about it the next day, his brother puts on a serious face and tells him not to worry, that he'll jump in after her before breaking into a grin and sending a wink Lexi's way. She giggles and attaches herself to Sam's leg.

"Daddy, I'm not gonna fall in anywhere. Mr. Novak said if we're not on our best behavior, we won't get to go into the gift shop at the end," she says like not going would be close to the end of the world. And shit, gift shop. He digs into his pocket for his wallet but Dean just socks him on the arm.

"Not a chance, Sammy. This is me taking Lexi to the aquarium like a promised and I've got gift shop duty just like I would if it was just us," he scolds. "Put your wallet away and use your money to get one of those foofy sandwiches from that bread place you're always raving about."

Sam feels his ears heating at the mention of Panera because he still hasn't told Dean about his accidental date with Gabriel—and god damnit, he forgot to call the school and say Lexi wouldn't be on the bus today. The apartment is a bit off the regular route since no other kids live nearby but the school is really great about not making Sam walk Lexi to a more populated area just to catch the bus with the concession that if she ever doesn't need it, Sam lets them know.

Oops.

And that's how he finds himself with nothing but his briefcase at the bus stop when Gabriel pulls up. The door swings open and the bus driver cocks and eyebrow at Sam.

"I feel as though the bus stop is down a member today," Gabriel teases.

Sam tries his best not to flush with embarrassment. "Yeah, Lexi's got a field trip today. Dean took her to school."

"Ahh, the aquarium right?"

"Yeah. She's so excited she was ready to go at six this morning," Sam shrugs.

The bus driver laughs. "Castiel—I mean, Mr. Novak, of course, has been the same for the last week, though I think that might have something to do with your brother. I gotta meet this guy, seriously. From what I've heard from Lexi and now Cas—he seems like a great guy."

"Mehh, he's okay I guess," Sam says with a smile. An awkward silence falls for a moment before he clears his throat and reaches for his briefcase. He misses of course, knocks it over, drops his cell on the ground and feels his face heat up. Gabriel just chuckles from his perch on the driver's seat. "Um, yeah. So I just wanted to be here so you'd know—"

"It's all right, Sammich."

"Sammich?"

The other man grins. "I figured it was fitting considering both our affinities for Panera sandwiches. Plus, if I could, I'd put you between two slices of bread and eat you up." Sam gapes at him and Gabriel laughs heartily as he shuts the doors with a slam and drives away.

Despite two—temporarily—lost lunch bags, one hysterical mom who was terrified to let her son go to the aquarium alone, and a minor scuffle over who got to be in Dean's group—five-year-old girls are vicious…as are fully grown female chaperones—the field trip to the aquarium starts off pretty well. Dean's definitely out of his comfort zone, used to having to wrangle only one kid, not the four assigned to his group, but he eventually gets them onto the bus and seated sort of near each other for easier access when they get there.

Lexi asks to sit next to him on the bus, but he figures it'd be best to have her sit with her friends and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he wants to talk to Castiel. He's not even bullshitting when he explains to the teacher that he's never been on a fieldtrip as a chaperone so he has literally no idea what he's supposed to be doing.

And if they share a seat that was definitely not made for two grown men which has their shoulders and thighs brushing as Castiel pulls out a map, Dean's not going to complain about it.

The teacher explains that usually groups go off on their own, but sometimes two wander around together. He gives Dean the itinerary with where they're meeting for lunch and what times he wants the chaperones to check in with him. He's given all the parents his cell number and informed them that a simple text is fine. Castiel even plucks Dean's phone from his fingers and enters his number himself.

The other man thanks him as he accepts it back. "You're really on top of your stuff aren't you, Mr. Novak?"

It might be Dean's imagination, but he thinks Castiel blushes.

Lexi is out of control excited. She wants to see everything all at once and she puts up a valiant effort to actually do that. The other three kids in Dean's group are two little girls, both named Ashley (which he's actually kind of grateful for since he only really has to learn two new names) and a boy named Ryan. The Ashleys obviously have some sort of freaky bond that only kids with the same name get and spend most of the morning holding hands and finishing each other's sentences. It's creepy and it makes Dean think of the Shining.

Ryan is quiet, content to follow the girls around and after a little prodding and a discussion of whether or not boys actually have cooties, Lexi takes his hand and he smiles at her. It'd probably make a lesser man all warm and fuzzy inside but Dean definitely doesn't have to clear his throat and look away.

He's never really seen Lexi interact with other children though, and now that he does he sees so much of Sam in her it's ridiculous. The way she laughs and the way her eyes shine when she explains to Ryan and the Ashleys that some starfish, when they lose legs, they can grow them back. She gets Sam's smug smile when the other kids all 'ooh' and 'ahh' over her superior knowledge even though she only knows about it because Bobby calls her 'starfish' and she made Dean read to her about them out of the old man's big, dusty encyclopedia.

They run into Castiel and his little flock by the polar bears. The adults watch the children as they call out to the bears that lounge on the rock in the warm autumn sun. One of them slides from it's perch and dives into the water. Castiel ushers the kids to the underwater viewing room just in time for them to see the bear glide effortlessly by the large window. Lexi rushes up to the glass, putting her small hand against it and like something from one of the aquarium's commercials, the polar bear nudges his nose against the tank, right where her skin is pressed tight. The children all gasp and push to the glass, their little fingers smudging it as the bear makes another pass.

When Lexi turns to him, her face shimmering from the underwater lights, and the biggest smile on her face, Dean loses his breath because she looks just like the pictures of his mother that he's tucked away over the years. He smiles back and just barely registers Castiel's hand on his arm, grounding him.


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the trip goes smoothly. No one falls into any enclosures and Ryan comes out of his shell when he learns that Dean works in a mechanic shop, just like his dad. Dean shows the boy pictures of the Impala and promises to show him for real some time. Their group seems to keep meeting up with Castiel's so in the end, they decide to just wander about together.

The gift shop is where the first real bit of drama for the day goes down. The Ashleys both pull out their spending money and scamper off to the stuffed animals. Most of Castiel's kids do too, giggling over the wind up penguins and the suction cup starfish. Dean gives Lexi a gentle push and she takes off with Ryan in tow to examine the 'grow your own aquarium' sets. Castiel is busy looking at educational tools so it's Dean that notices the little boy standing awkwardly by the door.

"What's up, dude?" he asks and the boy jumps before flushing.

"Nothin'," the boy says, setting his jaw.

"Not shopping then?" Dean questions moving closer.

"I—" the boy looks at the other children rushing around the store, laughing and pulling things from shelves. "I don't—"

And Dean knows exactly what the kid's about to say because when he was growing up, he _was_ this kid. "Don't like shopping? Man, me neither. So boring, right?" he cuts in before the boy can finish talking.

"Y-yeah. Shopping is stupid," the kid says.

"I'm Dean."

"Jake."

Oh. The infamous Jake…after the stories he's heard from Lexi, he forgets that Jake is still a five-year-old kid. The boy wipes hastily at his nose and Dean pretends he didn't see. "So Jake," he says, squatting down to the kid's level, "do you know who I am?"

Jake sniffs again. "Lexi's uncle. She doesn't like me."

"Why not? You seem pretty cool to me."

"I was mean to her once. And I said I was sorry. But she still doesn't like me," the boy says, kicking at the ground.

"Maybe you really hurt her feelings? Family is very important to us, ya know," Dean tries.

"She punched me in the face," Jake frowns. Dean has to suppress a smile at that. "I never got hit by a girl before."

"Yeah she's pretty awesome right?" the man says with a grin and Jake just blushes and sits on the marble floor.

"I tried to be nice after but I think she hates me," the boy says.

"We Winchesters are a stubborn bunch, kid," Dean laughs. "One time Lexi's dad didn't talk to me for a week because I melted one of his army men with a magnifying glass—and we're related! So I don't know what that tells you about it."

Jake's lips twitch into an almost smile. "So what happened?"

Dean sits on the floor next to the kid. "I felt so bad that I went and bought him a new set. Well, technically my Uncle dragged me to the store, but you get the idea." He watches Castiel sort through the 'Sea Life' puzzles and shakes his head. "So, hypothetically," he says and Jake turns his head to look at Dean, "if you liked shopping what would you get from here?" The boy's eyes fall to a bean-filled polar bear one of the Ashleys is holding.

He notices Dean raise an eyebrow. "It's okay, though," Jake says quickly. "Mama just forgot is all. She's real busy with Alan."

"Who's Alan?" Dean asks.

"Oh, he's my little brother. He's…um, I forget what it's called," the boy says shrugging. "I just say 'awesome' because it starts with the same sound? And he's awesome."

Dean smiles. "Autistic?"

"Yeah that one," Jake says. "He's two. Mama takes care of him while Daddy's at work. She just forgot to pack me money is all."

They sit quietly for a moment. Dean watches the children run through the gift shop and he knows Jake is watching too. "Can I ask you something?" the man says. The kindergartener nods. "Would you object to a little shopping even though you hate it anyway?"

Dean's such a sucker it's disgusting.

"Flatbread again, Sammich?"

Sam jumps and almost drops his bottle of water on the ground. "Hello, Gabriel," he says once his heart's stopped hammering in his chest.

The bus driver grins and plucks a cookie from the pile on the counter. "Flatbread's are boring, Sam." He throws the cookie at the other man who just barely catches it. "Live a little."

"Sugar rots your teeth," Sam replies, sending the cookie back. Gabriel just snorts and grabs another from the pile to add to his bill. They wait to pay in amenable silence and it's not a surprise when the bus driver follows Sam to the same booth they sat in before. Gabriel grins and takes a bite of his sandwich.

"So, what is an attractive single dad like you doing in a place like this?" the man asks when he finally swallows the ridiculously large hunk of sandwich he'd ripped off—Sam is actually a little impressed and that's saying a lot having watched Dean eat for most of his life.

"Is that the best line you've got?" Sam retorts. "Because honestly, I think you could do better if you put in a little effort."

"Ooh, someone's thinking high of themselves today. Especially after I had to drive all the way to his stop just to not pick up his daughter," Gabriel teases.

"Yeah but you got to see me," Sam says and immediately regrets. Smooth, Winchester. Smooth.

Gabriel eyes him for a second, letting the awkward silence wash over the table. "Not much of a consolation prize really. I mean Lexi gives me drawings to hang on my fridge. What'd you give me? Nothin'," he says finally.

"She gives you drawings?"

"Yeah," the bus driver says before he takes a sip of his soda. "Little stuff. Pictures of the bus, sometimes a horse. There was one interesting one though."

"Yeah, what was that?" Sam asks.

"Well, seems Lexi has it in her head that I should come over to dinner some night," Gabriel laughs. "It's a very nice picture with you and me and her and Uncle Dean all situated around the table." Sam swallows audibly. "I think the only thing on it is pie though. Crayon Dean looks pretty happy about it," the other man continues with a spark of amusement in his eyes.

"Man loves his pie," Sam sighs. He tries to play it off like his heart isn't going a mile a minute at the idea of having Gabriel over for dinner. "I think if it were physically possible, he'd survive on pie alone, actually."

Gabriel puts a hand to his heart in an exaggerated fashion and sighs wistfully. "A man after my own heart. Look out Sammich, I think you've got competition." Sam nearly chokes on his flatbread, rushing to take a drink of his water and blushing furiously. Gabriel laughs, genuine and loud enough to have the people at the next table looking at them. "The look on your face. Priceless," he giggles.

"Shut up."

"Nope! You were worried weren't you? Think I'd actually pick Dean-o over you?" Gabriel asks, wiping at his eyes.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Sam mumbles. "Cynthia Dermott, freshman year. I though we really had something for a minute. Turns out she was more into the leather-jacket-bad boy type." The bus driver howls with laughter and Sam finds himself grinning despite everything.

When Gabriel calms, he reaches out and pats Sam on the arm. "I'd never use you to get to your brother, Sam. Cross my heart and hope to die," he says making the movement over his chest. "'Sides, Castiel would kill me."

"Mmm? Why's that?"

Gabriel grins and it's full of humor and just a little diabolical that worries Sam just a little bit. "He's carrying quite a torch for that brother of yours."

"Really?" Huh, Dean did go on and on about the guy after the conference and was awfully excited about the field trip.

"Yep," Gabriel says, popping the 'p'. "Won't do anything about it though."

"Why not?" Sam asks.

The bus driver unwraps one of the cookies he bought and stuffs half of it into his mouth. When he's done swallowing around it and wipes the crumbs from his lips—which Sam absolutely doesn't watch closely—he says, "Something along the lines of 'He's a relative of my student, Gabriel! It would be inappropriate!' which is _total_ bull if you ask me, because it's not like Dean's Lexi's dad, right?"

"True. But Dean did go to the conference."

"Conference-schmonference. I've never seen Castiel like this over a guy. Or a girl. Or anything, for that matter," Gabriel says waving his hand around and flinging cookie crumbs on Sam's plate.

"Dean either, really," Sam admits. Usually his brother is all about making everything quick and fast and over but the way he talks about Castiel…it's different.

"See! Fools the both of them," the bus driver says around the other half of his cookie. Sam finishes off his sandwich and his water but makes no move to stand. He should be getting ready to go back to work, but he's not quite ready to leave and be stuck in his office for the rest of the day. And by office, he means cubicle. He watches Gabriel swallow and listens as he says something else about Castiel and their cousin Anna but he's missing some of the words, his eyes drawn to a smudge of chocolate on the corner of the other man's mouth. He briefly ponders how cliché and chick flick it would be to reach out and wipe it away. If they were dating, Sam wouldn't even think about hesitating, but this isn't a date and it's not his place to clean off Gabriel's rouge chocolate.

He finally breaks and offers the other man a napkin and says, oh so eloquently, "You've got something—" as he hands it over. He makes an aborted gesture to his own mouth but Gabriel gets the idea.

"Oh, so that explains the lip staring. And here I though you just liked my mouth," the bus driver coos. Sam doesn't blush, not at all.

His phone chooses that moment to chime shrilly in his pocket and when he looks, it's a text from Andy, his cubicle neighbor, asking him where he is because it's Tuesday and that means Mr. Milton is doing rounds again. "Sonofabitch," he mutters.

"What?"

"No, not you, sorry. I forgot about some stupid work thing," Sam says, gathering up his stuff. "My boss is a dick and he does these rounds—it's supposed to be all very intimidating and encourage good work effort but really it just annoys the shit out of us all and distracts from the things we really need to be doing."

"Sounds like a party," Gabriel drawls, standing as well.

Sam grimaces. "Yeah. It's a hoot, all right." He shrugs on his suit jacket and grabs his messenger bag before offering his hand to the other man. "It was really fun talking to you again, Gabriel."

The bus driver eyes him strangely before taking the offered hand and grinning. "We need to do this again. Maybe come up with a plan to get our stubborn brother's heads out of their asses."

Sam laughs, "I'd like that. Least we can do out of brotherly love, right?" They make their way to the exit when they're done throwing away their trash. Gabriel pats Sam on the back and sweeps away in the opposite direction before the taller man even has a chance to think about asking for his number. He mutters a quiet 'damn' and walks back to his office just in time to look like he's working hard for Zachariah's rounds.

He finds the cookie Gabriel stuffed in his bag right before he's about to pack up for the day. It's a little crushed and a bit broken, but he can see the note attached that's got, "Live a little, Sammy. Rot those perfect teeth" and Gabriel's number scrawled across it.

It's the best cookie he's had in years.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam is terrible at lying and everyone knows it, so why he's so insistent on trying to hide something from Dean, the older Winchester will never understand. Sam's been twitchy and awkward since Wednesday and by the time Saturday rolls around he's more than a little fed up.

"What is the matter with you?" Dean snaps when they're on the way to the park a couple blocks from Sam's apartment.

The other man at least has the sense to look a bit ashamed. "Nothing."

Lexi looks up at them both, a calculating look on her face. "Is Daddy fibbing?"

Dean raises his brows to Sam before looking down at the little girl. "I think so."  
"Daddy! Fibbing is against the rules," Lexi chirps.

"I know, baby. I'm not fibbing. There's nothing wrong with me so I didn't fib," Sam says carefully. Dean has no idea how the kid has made it this far as a lawyer.

"Liar."

"Uncle Dean! S'not nice to call people names."

Dean sighs. "Sorry peanut, I just don't like it when your daddy doesn't tell me things."

Lexi stares up at Sam. "Me neither."

Sam avoids both their eyes and clears his throat. "Hey, let's go feed the ducks!" he says, pulling out a bag of bread from his pocket. Lexi squeals delightedly—Dean knows a cop out when he sees one.

They walk quietly—well the adults do, Lexi chatters on about the ducks and how Mr. Novak has a stuffed duck that they pass around during sharing time and whoever holds it gets to talk. Dean tries his best to let Sam's reluctance to share go and Sam does his best to look everywhere but at his brother. It's working out horribly for both of them.

"Sam—"

"MR. GABRIEL!" Lexi screeches and tears away from Sam and Dean toward the pond. Gabriel turns and waves, a big smile on his face before patting the guy next to him who turns to face them and—

"Oh, I'm gonna kick your ass Sammy," Dean growls. Sam's shit-eating grin is gonna get him punched in the jaw one of these days.

Castiel's eyes widen comically when he sees the Winchester gang coming toward them and he drops an entire piece of bread on the ground, much to the delight of a particularly forward duck. He half turns back to the pond before seeming to think better of it and smacking Gabriel on the arm lightly and whispering something to him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sam deadpans. Dean glares at him while Lexi rushes up to the two Novaks. "Listen, I can only take so much pining—"

"I was not pi—"  
"This is for your own good, Dean." Sam bumps his shoulder against his brother's, shoves the bag of bread into Dean's hands, and then follows after his daughter. Dean curses under his breath and attempt calm himself down. Gabriel is crouched next to Lexi, letting her stick one of her pony stickers on his jacket. Sam laughs at something the bus driver says while Castiel stands stock-still, obviously trying to avoid Dean's eyes.

"Hey Cas," Dean says. Castiel nods his hello and they stand by the side of the pond. "We've got some sneaky siblings, I think," he offers after a moment. Cas ducks his heas and nods but Dean catches the smile pulling at his lips.

"Gabriel has always been too invested in my personal life. Or more aptly, my lack of personal life," he replies, seeming to gather himself enough to toss another small piece of bread to the ducks. They watch the birds fight over the crust for a moment. "He would say, 'Castiel, there's more to life than five year-olds and vintage records'."

"Vintage records, huh? I didn't really take you for the type." Dean reaches across Cas to pluck a hunk of break from his bag. The teachers stiffens for aheartbeat, then relaxes and Dean wants to grin at the flush creeping up Castiel's neck.

"Yes. My father didn't leave much behind when he left," Cas throws another piece of bread, this time harder to match the frustration in his voice. "But I managed to hold on to his vinyl collection. I've been adding to it over the years." He tosses his last bit of break listlessly. "It's silly, really."

"Nah," Dean says. "I've got a crapload of my dad's stuff still. And I know Sammy salvaged Mom's little ceramic collection of angels after the fi—after she died." He swallows quickly amazed that even now it's so hard to talk about her. When Sam told him they were giving making Lexi's middle name 'Mary' after her, he definitely cried. Manly tears, but tears all the same. "He's gonna give it to Lexi when she's older, I think."

Castiel looks at him, his eyes soft. "You obviously loved your family very much," he says as Dean offers him some of the bread Sam stashed in his pocket.

"Yeah, still do," Dean shrugs. "Family's always been important to me."

"My family was never really that…close," Castiel replies, fidgeting with the bread in his hand. "I didn't speak to Gabriel for a long time before I got to college. Not that it was either of our faults, of course. He's older and he left home when he was eighteen to love with out cousin—though not actually related—Balthazar in England."

"After your dad left?"

"Yes. Michael and Lucifer—"

Dean's eyebrows shoot up. "As in…?"

Cas smiles. "As in the archangel and ultimately the devil, yes."

"So Gabriel?"

"Also after the archangel."

Dean whistles. "Growing up must have been fun. You guys weren't religious or anything, were you?" he asks with a grin.

"Just a bit," Castiel laughs. "I'm named after one of the lesser-known angels, actually."

"What, no Raphael?" Dean huffs. He totally knows the archangels. Thank you, motel room reading materials.

"That would be my other, older, adopted brother," Cas responds wryly. "Gabriel's been teasing me for years that I was a mistake."

"So what'd your angel do?"

"Castiel is the angel of Thursday," Cas says like hes reciting a textbook.

Dean snorts but quickly raises his hands in apology when Cas glares at him. "Sorry, it's just—Thursday? Just like the day?"

"The souls who are born and return to Heaven on Thursdays are under Castiel's protection," the teacher says, snatching the remainder of the bread bag from Dean's hands.

"So basically, he's kind of a big deal?" Dean asks, hoping to mollify the situation.

Castiel's lips twitch upwards at the corners. "Basically."

They watch the ducks paddle around in amicable silence until Dean clears his throat. "So you were talking about your brothers before he got sidetracked by all this angel business?"

Cas sighs. "Michael and Lucifer loved each other. They just couldn't…"

"Like each other?" Dean supplies.

"Exactly. They were always fighting and I think when Father left, it just got worse," he says quietly.

"I know what that's like, man," Dean says. "Before my dad died, he and Sam—the acted like they hated each other, you know? Sam left because he couldn't take it."

"I think that's why Gabriel left too," Castiel says, looking out onto the pond. "I resented him for a long time. I was twelve when he left me without any explanation." He picks at the sleeve of his tan overcoat. "He was the next youngest to me after out father left, he was the one I spoke too most because my other brothers were off trying to run the family company."

Dean wants to reach out and grip Castiel's shoulder, but he's not sure if he's allowed or if he did that he'd be able to trust himself enough. He studies the way the light simultaneously casts Cas's face into shadow and seems to illuminate him from within. It's distracting and kind of stupidly beautiful if Dean described things like that. "That's rough, man," he eventually gets out.

"I mean, I understand now why he left and I forgave him years and years ago, but at the time, it was the angriest I've ever been," says Cas with a sigh. He turns back to face the pond.

"Why did he?"

"Mmm?"

Dean shrugs. "Why did Gabriel leave?" He knows it's a prying question, but he wants to be able to keep listening to Castiel talk. It's hypnotizing and it's terrifying, but Dean thinks he could listen to Cas talk about mold for an hour as long as it meant he was still talking.

Cas stoops to pick up a small flower from the ground, straightens, and begins to spin it between his fingers as he thinks, seemingly of a good way to explain. "Well the fighting was part of it. Michael and Lucifer both tried to get him on their sides. He loved them both, especially Lucifer. They were the closest despite their age difference; both of them fond of jokes and tricks. Gabriel couldn't choose though," he says, touching the petals of the flower cautiously. He doesn't look at Dean. "They shouldn't have made him try."

"Cas—"

"I think what really pushed him to leave," the other man continues, "was when they finally did agree on something."

Dean sits carefully on the ground and tugs at the hem of Castiel's coat to get him to join. When he does, he finally looks at Dean. "What did they want him to do?" he asks.

Cas smiles that wry smile again, the one that looks more like a grimace than anything else. "They told him he has to go to business school for accounting so he could join the company."

Dean snorts at the idea and Castiel looks at him curiously. "Just picturing Gabriel as an accountant."

Cas huffs out a laugh. "Yeah he wasn't really into the idea."

"So what happened?"

"My family is…well, they're pretty well off. Uh, more along the lines of 'rich'. Gabriel uses the term, 'loaded' I think," Cas says slowly. "Have you heard of Novak Pharmaceuticals?"

"Yeah of course—wait. You—Novak? You're one of _the_ Novaks?" Dean stammers.

"Precisely." Cas shift uncomfortably. "When we were born—or adopted in Raphael's case—my father set up college funds for us. I think he wanted us to all go to school for things to help the company."

"Smart, I guess."

"Yes, but Gabriel didn't want to be an accountant. He didn't even want to go to college at all. He's very bright but he never really did will with all the structure of school. So he listened to Michael and Lucifer plan out his life for him until he turned eighteen and then he took the money and ran," Castiel explains. "He left a note for them, and years later I found out he left one for me too."

Dean frowns. "What do you mean, 'years later'?"

Cas looks at him with his brows furrowed like he answer is obvious. "Michael hid it from me."

"What?!"

"They'd lost their future accountant. I was next for the job. I think Michael thought he was helping me." Castiel picks at a blade of grass.

"That is totally bullshit," Dean says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Castiel smiles at the reaction. "Pretty much. I think when Gabriel found out I was in school for that he went a little nuts." He picks another flower and pulls each petal off slowly. "He tracked me down and showed up at my school," the teacher says fondly. "He pulled me right from class and into the quad. I was upset and confused and embarrassed that he would do that—just show up and expect me to…"

"Yeah," Dean nods because he knows. He did the same thing to Sam when Dad got sick all those years ago.

"And then he asked me of this is what I wanted. That was it. He wasn't angry at me or trying to pressure me either way. He just asked," Cas says, still sounding amazed after all the time that has passed. "When I didn't answer, he asked me if I'd read his letter and I was so—so infuriated because no matter how much I'd wanted there to be one when he left, there _wasn't_ a letter. And I punched him in the face."

Dean's eyebrows shoot up. "Cas!"

Castiel laughs quietly. "He just took it too. Gabriel didn't hit me back and people were looking at us like we were crazy. After I—after I hit him, he stood there with a bruise forming on his cheek and stared at me. My whole life, all the time I knew him, Gabriel was the one who filled the silences. You've met him," Cas chuckles. "He _loves_ to talk. But that day—that day he just stood there and the only thing he said was 'Is this making you happy?'"

"And it wasn't," Dean states quietly.

"No, " Castiel says with a said smile, "it wasn't."

They're quiet again, this time for longer than any of the others. Cas watches the ducks and Dean can't stop watching Cas. He leans back on his hands and stretches out his legs. "Did he tell you what the letter said?"

"Yes," Castiel starts. "It said that he was sorry I couldn't come with him and that he couldn't stay. He wasn't going to let the family run his life and neither should I. I found it when I went home for Thanksgiving. Michael was furious at me for going through his things."

"You should have told him to fuck off," Dean grunts.

"I did," Cas laughs. "Just in less concise words." He smiles and Dean can't help joining in. "I moved out of the house permanently at Christmas and changed my major to Elementary Education." The wind shifts and Dean has to fight past the way his throat has suddenly gone dry when Cas turns his face into and closes his eyes. He wants to reach out and touch and take whatever it is Cas is willing to give.

"Do you know what the best part of the letter was?" The teacher asks, startling Dean from his thoughts.

"What was the best part?"

Castiel opens his eyes and looks straight at Dean. "He told me that I was the one who inspired him to leave but it broke his heart when he did." Cas closes his eyes again and scruntches up his face as he recites the letter from memory. "'Castiel, you are the best of this family and you better not ever forget that. Don't let them control you. Choose your life. Make it your own. You aren't your brothers or your father. You are Castiel and you deserve to be happy.'"

"Wow."

"It was a lot, when I first read it," the teacher agrees. "But the p.s. really made it I think. 'Our brothers are great big bags of dicks'."

Dean chokes back a laugh but loses it when Castiel grins lopsided at him. "I can see why Sammy like him."

"Would you like to get dinner sometime, Dean?" Cas asks. "Perhaps a date where we set the time and place instead of our interfering families?"

"I'd really love that, Cas," Dean says with a grin of his own. "And that way we can plot revenge together."

Castiel laughs and tucks a flower into the pocket of Dean's jacket. "It's a date."


End file.
